Predatory
by TheGhostofStonewallJackson
Summary: While hunting down a Maquis fighter, a Cardassian lieutenant crash lands on an unsettled moon. Little does he know that the Maquis soldier has also landed, and they may be more than the lieutenant can handle.
1. Chapter 1

Lieutenant Praedam could not help letting out a gasp of horrified shock despite himself. The hour-long dogfight in the moon's atmosphere had taken a toll on both his ship and that of the Maquis fugitive he had tracked down to this isolated corner of Cardassian territory. Still, he was not prepared for the life support failure that was forcing him to land in unfamiliar territory, and land practically blind without scanners to search the terrain.

"_Skata!_" Praedam cursed aloud as his small craft lurched forward violently. He was picking up speed as the moon's gravity accelerated his ship's descent. The Maquis fighter had inflicted so much damage on his vessel that the Cardassian lieutenant could not even tell whether he was being followed. Praedam assumed that his adversary would avoid further confrontation by making a getaway, but it was hard to judge based on the opposing vessel's erratic behavior.

Despite his best efforts, the lieutenant failed to bring his ship to a smooth landing. The wings of the vessel were smashed as it hurtled through dense jungle before it crashed into the swamp below. Praedam reeled from the shock of the impact, utterly disoriented and in pain. It took several minutes for his heart rate to slow to the point that he could properly analyze the situation. His viewscreen was down, so he could not see what was outside the ship, a few surviving emergency lights cast a blue glow on the interior, but all of the vessel's key systems were damaged far beyond his ability to repair them. There was also the danger that the maquis ship was searching for him, not content with a mere escape. Since that was a very real possibility, it would be foolish to stay put in the area of the crash site.

Praedam quickly attached his disruptor pistol to his belt and pulled out the emergency supply kit from underneath the pilot's console. He was able to force the hatch open just enough to slip out and slide onto the ground below. Immediately he was knee-deep in muddy water and had to cover his face to see through the heavy downpour of rain. He looked back at his ship, confirming that it was for all intents and purposes, beyond repair. The one positive aspect of the situation was that the jungle vegetation was so dense that it was possible to see beyond a few meters. The Maquis would have a hell of a time trying to find him.

Praedam slung his supply kit over his shoulder and trudged through the swamp water toward higher, hopefully dryer, ground. It took far more energy than it should have to travel that distance as the mud was so thick that he had to rip his feet out from the swamp bed when he inevitably got stuck every few minutes. At last, he reached the swamp bank and pulled himself out of that festering pit. Praedam had traveled a fairly good distance away from his ship and thus assumed it was safe to rest. He crouched underneath a stand of bush that offered scant shelter from the rain. The ground was still slick with mud, but there was little to be done about that, so he would have to endure.

The next immediate issue was contacting help. Praedam had followed the Maquis vessel farther from his home station of Perith Nor. The moon he was on was unsettled and before his vessel's scanners failed, he had not picked up any other vessels within range of the communication device he carried with him. The only option to alert other ships to his presence was to send out an emergency signal at frequent intervals and hope that a sympathetic Cardassian vessel would pass within range of the transmission. Huddled beneath the meager shelter of the vegetation, Praedam sent out his first emergency signal.

Daylight faded quickly in this unfamiliar land and soon Praedam was moving through the jungle using a small flashlight, pointed at the ground so as not to give himself away. Sending out a signal was not without its risks. It was entirely possible that another Maquis vessel was searching for the stranded fugitive, and it would not be difficult for them to track down an enemy transmission. Praedam changed his location frequently to minimize the risk of being tracked.

Eventually, exhaustion set in, and the lieutenant was forced to pause his efforts to rest. The rain had died down to a drizzle, and he could take cover for the night beneath the trees without too much discomfort. As soon as Praedam laid down on his bedroll, his joints seemed to give out and he settled into a deep sleep.

When the lieutenant woke, still under cover of darkness, he could not shake a gut feeling of unease. He had turned off his flashlight and could see nothing but the faint outline of the trees above against the night sky. There was a prickle down his spine as anxiety set in. Praedam listened intently but he could not hear any movement from the jungle floor. He waited, impossibly still for several more minutes, before he dismissed his concerns as paranoia and settled back down into his bedroll. His eyes drifted shut and sleep nearly overtook him again before the nearby cracking of a tree branch caused him to sit bolt upright.

It was possible that there were animals in the jungle that could have been responsible for the noise, but the only organisms Praedam had seen on the moon were plants and primitive insects. He could have sworn just then that he had heard footsteps moving across the leaf litter. Not making any sudden movements, the lieutenant removed the disruptor from his belt turned off the safety. On all fours, he crept out from under the brush and rose to his feet. The silence now was eerie, there was no wind, no rain, not even the chirping of insects. Praedam crept along the forest floor, disruptor pointed ahead in the direction where he had first heard movement. An irrational part of his brain even considered using the flashlight before the wisdom of his military training returned to him.

Thinking that his target must have moved, Praedam turned back toward his shelter which was now a few meters away from his current position. Staying out in the open was clearly not conducive to his safety or sanity.

As Praedam lowered himself to enter the shelter, a blade jammed itself into his calf. Praedam screamed and fell forward, his injured leg screaming with pain. The blade was ripped out of his leg by an unseen foe, and the lieutenant ducked just in time to feel a gush of air against his neck as the blade returned for another strike. Before he could turn around to face his opponent, he felt his attacker ram him in the back of the head, sending Praedam's world spinning. He fell forward and the attacker jumped on top of him, pushing him into the mud, before locking an arm around his neck.

"If you try to get up, I'll gut you like a pig."


	2. Chapter 2

Instinct kicked in and Praedam tried to reach through the dark toward the disruptor lying on his bedroll. The body crouched on top of him jerked forward and sank the blade of their weapon into the Lieutenant's hand.

"AHH" Praedam screamed in agony as pain shot through his left arm. Without taking their hand off the blade, his attacker grabbed the disruptor and threw it out of his reach.

"Put your other arm behind your back. Now!" the assailant shouted as Praedam struggled feebly. "… or I can keep hurting you." The blade began to twist, his hand still impaled on it.

"Stop! I'll cooperate." Praedam growled through the pain and obediently held his free arm behind his back. The attacker grabbed his wrists and tied them together several times with what felt like metal cables. The blade was ripped from his hand and blood immediately began to pour from the wound and pool on his back. The lieutenant considered trying to move again, but besides being stuck in the mud he was not sure how much damage the Maquis soldier was willing to inflict. Praedam had not seen his – possibly her? – face but there was little chance that the armed assailant was not the fugitive he had tracked to this far corner of Cardassian territory. He felt the weight on his back move as the Maquis soldier crawled deeper into his shelter.

"I admit that ambush was well-executed terrorist, but you're still not going to make it off this moon alive." Praedam jeered, but there was no reply. He heard shuffling nearby as his bedroll was opened and his emergency kit was rummaged through. The soldier must have had goggles designed for low-light, and that was how Praedam had been found. Despite his attempt to maintain an outward veneer of calm, the lieutenant was inwardly panicking. "You know, it may be a few days before help finds either of us," the lieutenant began, "Perhaps it would be wise to combine our resources?" When all else failed, it never hurt to turn to diplomacy.

"Shut up, you're in no position to negotiate. And your resources are mine now." The soldier snapped back at him. That voice was definitely female, and when she spoke there was no obvious tremble or stutter so she had likely not sustained any debilitating injuries during her sudden landing. The soldier crawled back out of the shelter, still in total darkness.

"Get up." The Maquis ordered as she rose from her crouched position in the mud.

"You tied my hands."

"I said get up!" the Maquis barked, grabbed his wrist ties and forcibly pulled him to a standing a position. "Walk."

Praedam opened his mouth to speak but he was cut off before he could utter a word.

"-and don't ask questions, just move. Quickly." The Maquis pushed the lieutenant's wrists against his back to lead him forward, wisely keeping him within her field of vision.

"As you wish, madame." Praedam winced as the cables around his wrists rubbed against the open wound on his hand, but he trudged forward blindly through the night as he was ordered. They walked through heavy brush and swamp water, and Praedam realized with some dismay that he would not be able to follow his footprints back toward the crash site in the morning.

"So, do any of your accomplices know that you decided to join me on a hike? My scanners showed that your ship was meant for two pilots." Praedam asked, bored with the silence. The soldier said nothing but pushed harder on his back. "I'd hate to think you were wandering through the wilderness alone at night." The soldier shoved Praedam forward harder still, nearly pushing him into the mud.

"You put me in this situation." The soldier growled.

"It was in the line of duty you understand, but from one soldier to another, you have my sympathies," Praedam replied, with an air of obnoxious nonchalance.

"Stop." The soldier halted him with a tug on his bounds. "Don't move." The lieutenant heard her cross in front of him and push something out of her way before returning. "Walk, keep your head down." She ordered, her hand smeared blood from his still open wound as she grasped his restraints again.

"Why?"

"Just. Go." The soldier walked him forward and Praedam ducked his head as they entered some sort of shelter. The ground was dry inside, and the sound of rain was muffled. "Sit," the soldier commanded as she released him. The Maquis shuffled with some items on the ground and crouched behind Praedam, the only sound she made was that of metal clinking in her hands.

"What are you- "

Praedam's restraints were suddenly pressed into the ground as the soldier tied them to a stake and hammered it into the ground.

"Is that really necessary? I assure you that I was already at your mercy." A hand seized Praedam by the chin and pulled his face upward.

"You will be." The soldier whispered after a long pause. She retreated toward the other side of her shelter and rummaged through her, and probably some of his, belongings again. There was a crackle of dry vegetation being piled and suddenly the glow of a lighter entered his vision. There was barely enough light coming from it for Praedam to see a ghostly hand lower it and set a pile of twigs aflame.

As the fire grew, the lieutenant was finally able to see the enemy. She was on the shorter side, covered head to toe in a cloak that seemed much too big for someone of her slight frame. As Praedam had suspected, she had been wearing goggles and at that moment was in the process of taking them off and storing them in a game bag at her side.

"Ah, now that's much better." Praedam sighed, causing the soldier to shoot daggers at him with her gaze. "What a lovely sight for tired eyes." The lieutenant smiled at her, trying to lay on the charm. He studied the exotic slant of her eyes, the shoulder-length dark hair still slick with rainwater, and the bruised lower lip that seemed to twitch ever so slightly when he managed to irritate her. "But aren't you a little young to be a wanted criminal?" He pointed out, noticing the youthful fullness of her cheeks. He had not seen a lot of humans close up to know, but if he had to guess he did not think that the fugitive could have been older than a teenager.

"I'm old enough." The Maquis muttered under her breath as she reached into her game bag and pulled out a few of the combat rations she had stolen from him earlier. She ripped one open and pulled out a few pieces of the mushy, biscuit-like food. She inspected it closely, apparently questioning whether it was actually edible. It seemed hunger overtook her caution, however, as she started to eat it in small bites.

"You're welcome, of course." Praedam quipped though the soldier continued to ignore him. "Alright, well then how about you go back to torturing me to pass the time while we wait for help to arrive." At this point, nothing annoyed the lieutenant more than the fact that this human criminal had the audacity to capture him and not even show the slightest interest. She would not even make an effort to trade insults. He did not know when he would be found, but it was clear that the hours would pass very slowly. "Well, it appears we will be living together for some time. We might as well introduce ourselves." The soldier's only response was a humorous guffaw. "My name is Praedon, I'm a Junior Lieutenant attached to Perith Nor. And you are?" The lieutenant and the soldier stared each other down for a minute before she finally spoke.

"For the purposes of sanity, I'll give you a choice." The Maquis offered, ignoring his question. She leaned closer toward the fire as she uttered the words.

"I'm listening."

"Good. The deal is: you can stop talking and let me rest in peace, or I can cut off your cock, cook it, and feed it to you. Which option would you prefer?"

Praedam had to swallow the vomit that rose in his throat as his imagination went places it was never meant to go.

"By all means, please rest."

The Maquis smiled deviously before standing up and shedding her cloak, laying it down beside the fire to dry. Praedon's eyes widened as she continued to remove her clothing down to her underwear and lay it the damp pile next to the fire in the same fashion, apparently having gone back to ignoring his presence. He watched that lithe, muscular body move gracefully across the shelter and lay down her own bedroll. If she had wanted Praedam to shut up, it seemed that that was all she had to do, as he could do nothing but watch in a state of bafflement and piqued interest.

A lovely sight indeed.

The soldier climbed into her bedroll and turned on her side as if she had to watch her prisoner even in her slumber. Praedam kept his word and was silent, and despite his uncomfortable upright position, he eventually succumbed to the lull of sleep as well.


	3. Chapter 3

When Praedam woke he was alone. The Maquis had rolled up her bedroll, dressed, and hidden the combat rations for good measure. The Cardassian realized for the first time that they had taken shelter beneath the roots of an enormous tree, possibly the only dry spot within walking distance. As Praedam cracked his neck and struggled to shift into a more comfortable position, he noticed the pile of firewood and some alien plant tubers stacked against the side of the little hollow in the tree that was not there the night before.

She was resourceful. Focused. Independent.

Only when he first tried to use his fingers to test the knot in his bounds did Praedam remember the hole that the Maquis had carved in him the night before. He brushed his thumb against the wound and the shredded flesh stung bitterly. He would need to clean and regenerate the wound soon, or in this environment, it could quickly become infected.

Outside Praedam heard the Maquis's footsteps approach. He could not turn to face her as his back was toward the entrance to their shelter.

"Good morning, my dear. I trust you slept well." The Cardassian called out in greeting.

"Yes, but I'll sleep even better after I get off this rock."

"Are you sure you won't miss my company?" Praedam chuckled as the Maquis untied his restraints from the stake in the ground.

"I think it's safe to say that I'm in no danger of that happening." There was a long, pregnant pause that followed.

"Suppose my people arrive first? Then what will you do?" The Cardassian's voice was sober.

"I've evaded them on every assignment I've been given so far, this one won't be any different." The Maquis grunted as she pulled a stolen medical kit from her game bag.

"You mean your mission to distract station security from the sabotage happening in the refinery? In all honesty, small targets like your craft don't pose a real threat to our presence here."

"That's what we count on people like you to believe." The Maquis knelt behind him and pulled a hypo-spray with an antibiotic cartridge out of the medical kit.

"And what kind of person am I?" Praedam could just barely see her out of the corner of his eye.

"The kind that talks too much." The Maquis administered the antiseptic and traded the hypo-spray for a tissue-regenerator.

"It is a burden having to come up with almost the entire conversation by myself, but somehow I will get us through these trying times." Praedam leaned back in defeat. "Human, you still haven't told me your name."

"You don't need it."

"Suppose we get separated, how will I find you?" The Cardassian sighed as the Maquis finished regenerating the tissue around the knife wound she had previously inflicted.

"You wouldn't get far."

"You underestimate me. Besides, I don't see the harm in giving me one small sliver of information about yourself. It's merely a-"

"Jaslene." The Maquis replied.

"Pardon?"

"My name is Jaslene Yadao. Satisfied?"

"Jas-leen" Praedam sounded it out like a child just learning to read. "Beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

"Cut the crap. I know all about you people and your tricks and _that_ is not going to get you anywhere." Jaslene snapped.

"Nothing worth having is easily obtained, but we've already made progress. See, we're having a real conversation now." Praedam smiled and took the human in again now that she was in his field of view. In the light, she looked rather cute in a feminine way. It was hard to imagine her as a vicious assassin although the newly formed scar tissue in his hand begged to differ.

When Jaslene had finished healing her enemy's injury as well as she could under the circumstances, she untied the rest of the cable from his wrists. Immediately Praedam turned around to face her, still in his crouched position.

"Slowly now," Jaslene stated in her unique authoritative monotone. It was then that Praedam noticed the phaser she held pointed directly at his heart. He had never even seen her carrying it prior to that moment. "You could say I'm not the trusting type."

"I can fix that."

"Here," Jaslene pulled a packet of combat rations out of her trouser pocket and tossed it into his lap, her phaser still pointed at him. "Eat quickly. It's still early morning, we should leave before it gets too hot."

"Where are we going?" Praedam flexed his sore arms and stumbled to his feet.

"You're going to take me to your ship."

Devoid of any useful instruments, Praedam was not sure how long they had been trekking through the jungle though he assumed it must have been at least an hour. The sun had certainly changed position in the sky, but he had no idea how long a day lasted on this moon.

"It is your fault, but I never should have trusted you to lead," Jaslene growled. Her breathing was ragged and there was fluid leaking out of her skin that Praedam believed humans called sweat. It appeared that the tropical heat on the moon was starting to take a toll on her, though it was unlikely that she would have admitted it had the cold-blooded Cardassian asked her.

"Exactly! No, wait," Praedam groaned, sharing in her frustration. "I meant to say that my ship is not worth finding regardless, because neither of us is able to repair it under these conditions, and it would be foolish to think that you can get your own vessel off the ground with a few spare parts."

"Well, I'm sorry that I'm not just going to sit on my ass do nothing!" Jaslene shouted, her voice echoing through the trees.

"Maybe you should, because you're using energy you clearly can't spare. I know you're not doing well in this heat and you're just going to get us stranded in the middle of nowhere. You'd have to be insane to believe that there's even a microscopic chance of getting out of here if help doesn't find us."

"And who is help? Cardassia? I might as well shoot myself where I stand!" Jaslene got up in Praedam's face and shoved him backward, though not managing to knock him off balance.

"Listen to yourself, you're acting like the Maquis are never coming back for you. Why can't you just…" Praedam trailed off as he saw a tear roll down the soldier's cheek as she went silent. "Jaslene, are you saying they won't come back for you?" She was avoiding eye contact and biting the inside of her cheek.

"No," Jaslene whispered, her voice had suddenly gone hoarse.

"Why?"

"Because you chased me so far away from what was supposed to be my rendezvous point with the carrier ship, that my squadron was forced to leave without me or be destroyed. And unlike you people, we don't have the luxury of being able to venture into enemy territory to recover every single person who accidentally gets separated, especially not for photon-fodder like me." Jaslene leaned back against a tree, collecting her thoughts and oxygen.

"I'm sorry." Praedam made a meager effort to console the hopelessly marooned soldier, unsure of what else to say or do.

"Pfft. Sorry? You're sorry? Are you kidding me?" Jaslene cackled to herself.

"You are a criminal, a terrorist at that, and will be dealt with accordingly as a threat to the Cardassian Union when the military finds us. But there are options. You may be allowed to live if you willingly divulge information regarding the Maquis."

Jaslene immediately jumped back to life at leapt at him.

"My whole village would turn in their graves!"

"Let them! Why are you willing to go so far to protect these criminals who stranded you with the enemy?" Praedam seized Jaslene by the shoulders, he could practically see the steam coming out of her ears, but she did not try to push him away. "When the military arrives, you will be held for questioning, and we will get whatever information we need out of you regardless of what your personal feelings are. All you can control is how far we have to go with you."

Jaslene wrenched herself away from him and dropped down beside the base of a tree. She held her head in her hands, covering her face to muffle her sobs. Praedam sat down beside her and sighed. He looked up that sky through the tree branches and saw a gray blanket of cloud cover. He could have sworn it was starting to rain again.


End file.
